message FROM the Chief executive
Our health system is only as good as its people and this year has shown what incredible, resilient and committed staff we have at Northern Sydney Local Health District and across the whole NSW Health system. It is hard to think of a year that tested our health system in the way we saw in 2020 and 2021 as we responded to the COVID-19 pandemic. We had scores of our district staff step outside their normal roles and volunteer to help their colleagues in other parts of the state. We supported NSW Health’s Special Health Accommodation with many of our nursing and community health staff temporarily redeployed to assist. We had staff deployed in COVID-19 vaccination hubs, contact tracing units, testing centres and mobile clinics across Sydney. We had staff volunteer to work in remote NSW to assist vulnerable communities who were severely impacted through a COVID-19 outbreak, displaying an incredible generosity of spirit. The year clearly demonstrated that we may be one of the 15 local health districts but we are one health system. While COVID-19 dominated much of our decision-making and almost all of our services, it also gave our staff the opportunity to come together in a way we had not before, and find new models of care and ways of caring for our patients. We established the Virtual Hospital, in which patients diagnosed with COVID-19 are ‘admitted’ but remain at home, with regular care and welfare checks conducted by a team of doctors and nurses. This is one initiative that we are exploring to use for other services in the future which could treat and care for patients, without the need for a hospital stay. Our Information, Communication and Technology teams worked at an incredible pace to enable the COVID-19 services to be delivered. Hospital teams came together at Hornsby, Ryde, Royal North Shore and Mona Vale hospitals to reconfigure wards and departments to prepare for COVID-19 patients. Our People and Culture team worked to support our staff in trying times, including COVID-19 care teams, donned on their pink vests, available to support staff. In the background, our district continued to progress our capital works program, with the opening of the clinical services building at Hornsby Hospital as part of its $265 million redevelopment. Construction started on the $19.5 million Adolescent Young Adults Hospital, at the former Manly Hospital site. When completed it will be Australia’s first dedicated service for 15 to 24-year-old patients and will offer respite care, symptom management and end-of-life care. Meanwhile at Ryde Hospital, planning continued for its redevelopment, with feedback sought from the community and staff on what they would like to see in the future hospital development.
Mona Vale Hospital opened a dedicated 10-bed palliative care unit and a 10-bed geriatric evaluation and management unit. The district’s Planetary Health Committee continued to work on initiatives to make our hospitals and services more environmentally conscious and sustainable. Driven by staff, the committee is working to change how we work and to be at the forefront of a driven and sustainable health organisation. Our clinicians and researchers continued to make huge strides in innovations and cutting edge research with many attracting Commonwealth Government funding and grants. The Kolling Institute Research Strategy 2021-2025 was released, setting the strategic framework for the institute over the next five years and broadening the opportunities to achieve high quality translational research. While COVID-19 presented challenges to our healthcare system, it provided opportunities for our researchers to explore the virus and contribute to research on a global scale. Our researchers are participating in 41 COVID-19 studies which will help to provide vital evidence on how to treat and prevent the virus. Our consumers continue to play an important role in our services, from their contribution on our committees to working alongside clinicians, as evident in mental health and drug and alcohol services, where there are now 29 mental health peer worker consumers. We launched the Peer Worker Glad You Asked video, which showcases the wonderful peer workers who in their own words describe their valuable contribution to a mental health consumer’s journey. A consumer-centred website redesign was unveiled, making the district and hospital websites accessible and user-friendly. Following engagement with consumers and staff, the website was designed with a consumer-centric focus to improve engagement with our health services. It is remarkable to look back and see how much was achieved despite the many challenges we encountered with the COVID-19 pandemic, both professionally and personally. Despite the challenges presented to us, our staff have continued to offer first-class high-quality care to our patients, we have continued to build the hospitals our communities deserve, and as always placed our patients at the heart of everything we do. Each and every one of our staff should feel so very proud of everything that has been achieved.
Deb Willcox, Chief Executive Northern Sydney Local Health District
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NSLHDNEWS | 2021 YEAR IN REVIEW
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